Ellison finds himself witness to the beginnings of an underworld war between the drug-running bikers of The Void and the local representatives of the deadly Japanese Yakuza.

When a series of explosions level black churches throughout Cascade, Ellison, Sandburg and Captain Banks uncover the racist influences of the White Aryan Resistance (WAR) in their city.

A birthday party for Katrina, a young Russian woman, is interrupted by a vicious attack that claims the life of two men and ends with the theft of a mysterious black suitcase from the woman's boyfriend, Sergei. Ellison and Sandburg receive little cooperation from the witnesses, but Ellison's "Sentinel" intuition leads him to discover a gold neckchain worn by Sergei is, in fact, radioactive.

Ellison and Sandburg spot a man, a mob accountant, who they thought was dead. When they try to catch up to him, he nearly runs them over escaping in his car.

Blair falls for Jim's new neighbor; a beautiful woman named Iris, but learns that this particular girl next door isn't as innocent as she appears. Iris and her ex-boyfriend Chance haven't exactly been living the American dream and the smitten Sandburg is quickly sucked into this couple's twisted nightmare.

Poet Dimitri Gordienski is killed by a sniper at Cascade's Russian Arts Festival. Captain Banks wants the case resolved quickly before the federal government gets involved.

When archaeology student Martin Gillman is buried alive by a cave-in at an excavation site, Ellison and Sandburg suspect foul play. As they unearth vendettas between various members of the archaeological team allusions also surface to hidden treasure buried at the site.

It's guys' night out for Ellison and Sandburg as they watch Sandburg's old buddy, boxer "Sweet" Roy Williams fight a few rounds. Things turn decidedly sour when Sweet Roy winds up dead and all the leads point to his jealous little brother, Jamie.

Some visiting Buddhist monks start dying in Cascade's Chinatown district and Lila, Jim's old love from his days in Bali, seems to be involved. Jim's investigation is hampered by some overwhelming sensory overloads that all but incapacitate him.